Transcript

00:00:00

>> A government shutdown was 100% avoidable.>> The United States government begins to shutdown, as Congress fails to reach a deal to keep the money flowing. I'm Andy Sullivan in Washington where the world's most powerful government now lacks the funds to keep operating because Congress is tied up in knots over immigration.

00:00:19

Republicans and Democrats are pointing fingers at each other after a bid to extend temporary funding fell short in the senate. There's a chance they could resolve the standoff. Senate republican leader Mitch McConnell says he plans to schedule a vote on something that both sides perhaps can live with.

00:00:35

But for now, Washington is in the grips of a shutdown.>> Lawmakers engaged in a franctic round of a last minute negotiations on the Senate floor for more than an hour and a half but failed to reach a deal before funding expired at midnight. That means, thousands of federal workers are likely to be furloughed for the second time in less than five years.

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The shutdown comes on the one year anniversary of President Trump's inauguration. Democrats accused Trump of bad faith negotiations on immigration. Well Republicans say Democrats are prioritizing illegal immigrants over law enforcement and national security.>> There's only one reason we ended up here. The shoe horning of illegal immigration into this debate.

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>> Democrats say Republicans are dragging their feet on a promise to protect young immigrants who entered the country illegally as children. Some 700,000 of these so called dreamers face possible deportation starting in March. Because Trump removed protections that had been put in place by President Obama. Trump met with senate democratic leader, Chuck Schumer at the White House to see if they could find common ground.

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>> What has transpired since that meeting in the Oval Office is indicative of the entire tumultuous and chaotic process Republicans have engaged in, in the negotiations thus far.>> White House Press Secratary Sarah Sanders said the Trump Administration won't negotiate over immigration, while the government isn't fully operating.

00:01:59

Calling the democrats quote, obstructionist losers in a statement. The full effects of the shutdown likely won't be felt until Monday, when financial regulators, tax collectors, scientists and other federal employees will be forbidden from coming to work. There's a chance that Congress could solve the problem before then, McConnell says he'll have the Senate Bill on a measure that would extend temporary funding through February 8th.

00:02:21

That's shorter than Republicans want and longer than Democrats want, but it could be enough time for the two sides to resolve their differences